David Clarkson is just trying to make himself useful, not an easy assignment without a stick in his hand and a snarl on his face.

He pushes himself hard in practice and hopes it will have some benefit to his Maple Leafs teammates when he finally becomes one of them on a game night.

He says he has tweaked his equipment and is working harder in the weight room than he ever has in the month of October. All in the effort to put aside the frustration of the delayed start to his career with his hometown team.

So through the first three, painful nights of a 10-game suspension to start off life as Leaf, he joked about being like his young daughter opening a chocolate each day in her countdown for Christmas.

“I’ve been definitely checking off the dates and getting ready to go,” Clarkson said after a team practice Monday at the Air Canada Centre, another session where he is doing his utmost not to lose a step and keep his teammates from doing the same. “I’m definitely getting excited that we’re getting close.”

Close is relative, of course.

Week 1 for the team saw road victories in Montreal and Philadelphia, a trip coach Randy Carlyle encouraged Clarkson to make, even though bodies not eligible to play don’t always travel with the team.

Then there was the home opener Saturday night against the Senators, the date he could hardly resist talking about since Leafs general manager Dave Nonis signed him to that seven-year, $36.75 million deal in July.

But a 3-0 start has at least helped ease some of the angst and frustration that have accompanied Clarkson’s absence. Now starts Week 2 with three more games, all against Western Conference foes and all teams that missed the lockout-altered post-season last spring.

Observing from the press box and spending time in practice, Clarkson likes what he sees and not just the wins that have allowed a jump atop the all new Atlantic Division.

“We battled back in each of them,” Clarkson said when asked his impression of those three early wins. “All three games we were down. I just found it impressive. I’ve played on good teams and good teams find ways and they battle back.

“Obviously, it’s a tough situation for me. It sucks. But the boys are playing hard and we’re getting wins right now and that’s all that matters.”

Though that Oct. 25 debut in Columbus is still a ways off, it will be interesting to see where Carlyle fits Clarkson into the lineup. Injuries have already made for some alterations, but if we’ve learned anything with Carlyle in his time here, the lines are always shuffling and there will always be a prominent place for a player like Clarkson.

Taking Clarkson along for the ride on the opening trip made plenty of sense, especially with a short roster. He skated both mornings in Montreal and Philadelphia and most importantly had the luxury of spending time with his teammates.

“Randy and I spoke about it,” Clarkson said. “It’s nice for me to get to know the guys and be a part of it. It’s better for me to be around the team, I think, than not.”

Not gone and certainly not forgotten, the strong start makes the whole incident in that pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres that much easier for Clarkson to digest. His support from his teammates from the moment he was slapped with the 10-game sentence has helped as well. All that’s left is to do his time and be as productive as possible as the games tick by.

“No one is perfect and when things are bad, you try to make a positive from it,” Clarkson said. “This is probably the toughest (stretch of his NHL career.) I think I was in the best shape I’ve been in coming in (to the start of a season.)

“Not it’s just maintenance, getting the skating going and battling with guys in drills to get ready. But one thing’s for sure — when I get back, I’ll be not just fired up, but ready to go.”